


Bump

by leonheart2012



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cute, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, I guess angst?, M/M, Mentions of child neglect, Prom being adorable, The Application of First Aid, mentions of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 14:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20026978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonheart2012/pseuds/leonheart2012
Summary: Prompto keeps bumping into Gladiolus.





	Bump

He wasn’t watching where he was going. That was always his problem; his head was in the clouds while he ran, and so he would bump into things and people and forget to say hello.

Prompto rubbed the back of his head and winced. He’d hit the pavement hard this time.

The other person, whom Prompto had mistaken for a wall he was so solid, stood and offered him a hand up. “You should watch where you’re goin’, kid.” He said, his voice gruff.

Prompto looked up into the man’s face. He had harsh features, but he was also rather handsome – a strong jaw and thin lips with dark eyes and hair (which was styled into something resembling a very stiff, too-old paintbrush).

“Sorry.” Prompto mumbled, hiding behind his own hair.

“Hey, don’t I know you?” He peered closer, and Prompto tried to shrink back even further. “Yeah, you go to school with Noctis. I’ve seen you hanging around the school yard.”

Despite himself, Prompto looked up, surprised. “You know him?”

“Yeah, I’m supposed to take care of the little brat.” He huffed and folded his arms. “Just hope you don’t have cause to talk to him – if you can even get a word out of him. He’s so broody all the time.” He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Prompto had been fidgeting with his bracelet, causing the older man’s eyes to flick down to it, so Prompto snatched it close to his chest.

The older boy frowned in sympathy. “Oh, sorry. You did fall pretty hard. Did you hurt yourself?”

Prompto hastily shook his head. “I should go. It was nice meeting you!” He took off down the road, cursing himself for his nervous habit.

The crash that resulted from Prompto swinging out of the arcade made his teeth hurt.

“Ow!” A familiar gruff voice complained. “Watch where you’re – Prompto?”

“Sorry, Gladio.” Prompto said sheepishly, untangling himself from the pole he’d been swinging around, while trying his best not to step on Gladiolus’ feet.

“Why do you never watch where you’re going?” He growled, stepping back and looking down at the younger teen.

Prompto shrugged. “Too excited, I guess.”

“Hey, is Noct with you? He slipped out of a meeting earlier and hasn’t been seen since.”

There was no way his face didn’t convey his guilt, but Prompto tried to cover it anyway. “No. I haven’t seen him all day.”

Gladio sighed. “I knew he’d probably come down here. Where is he?”

Prompto stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t seen him, I swear.”

“Prompto.” Gladio warned in an even deeper voice than usual, and Prompto squeaked in terror.

Finally, with tears in his eyes, he cowered behind the lamp post he had been swinging on moments earlier. “He told me he was going to hang out with Iris!”

“And asked you to cover for him here.” Gladio finished, already turning away. “Damn it!” He swung back around to face Prompto. “Go home, _now_. And watch where you’re going this time!”

Too scared to argue, he sprinted home, taking extra care to not bump into anything. Unfortunately, when he’d tripped over Gladio earlier, his shoelace had come undone and, about a block from his apartment, he tripped and fell, scraping his knees, palms and elbows.

As he was washing the blood off, a knock came at his door.

“Coming!” He dried his hands and limped over to it. Upon opening, it revealed Gladiolus, who took one look at Prompto and sighed.

“Can’t you ever just stay on your feet? I told you to look where you were going.”

“I did.” Prompto protested. “My shoelace...”

Gladio just shook his head with a pitying expression. “Well, can I come in?”

Prompto blinked in surprise. “I thought...you’d just come to check I did what you said.”

“I did. But now you’re hurt.” His expression shifted to one full of guilt. “I may not be Ignis, but I can take care of a few scrapes.” He chuckled. “The Six know I’ve done it for Iris enough times.”

Prompto frowned at the unfamiliar name. “Ignis?” If he was close to Noct, the prince had never mentioned him before.

“Oh right, you haven’t met him yet. He’s another of Noct’s carers. Well, he’s more carer than I am; he cooks and cleans and teaches Noct about all that stuffy aristocratic nonsense. What forks to use and whatnot.” He gently moved Prompto out of the doorway, because he was still standing there, open-mouthed, and explored the three tiny rooms of his house before pushing Prompto back onto his bed and taking a look at his wounds. “I, on the other hand, am his shield; I make sure he can handle himself in a fight, but am his backup if he can’t.” He paused for a moment, simply looking at the wounds on Prompto’s palms. “I’d die for him.” He finished quietly.

Prompto frowned. “I thought you hated him?”

“I did.” He admitted, looking around for something. “You got a first aid kit, kid?”

“No. And I’m not a kid. I’m only four years younger than you.” Prompto grumbled.

Gladio chuckled. “Guess you’ll just have to wait until I can get you something better than water to wash those cuts with.” He stood and placed his hands on his hips, smiling down at Prompto. “And four years...while it might pass fast, a lot can happen in that time.” He patted Prompto’s knee. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Prompto sighed and laid back on his bed while he waited for Gladio to return. He wondered if Gladio would be so friendly towards him if he knew...he fidgeted with his wristband, pulling it down just enough to see the bar code. He still had no idea what it truly meant, only that he was a product of Niflheim.

A shuffling of footsteps made him hastily yank it back into place and, with a careful glance that it was completely covered, he sat back up and tried to look as though he hadn’t moved.

Gladiolus came back into the room brandishing a small green box like it was a prize, a huge grin on his face. “Last one at the station down the road. Seems luck is on our side today.” He knelt by Prompto’s knee – he was tall enough that his chest was now level with Prompto’s – and opened it. Inside was indeed treasure; a plethora of things Prompto had never had the money to afford. Bandages, antiseptic, cotton balls, painkillers, safety pins, a thermometer, and some other things he didn’t even know related to first aid, like a kit with a weird curved needle and thread, some small scissors, and what looked like a bottle of water.

“Wait.” Prompto said, just as the older man was about to open the antiseptic. He flushed when Gladiolus looked at him in surprise. “They’re really not that big. They’ll heal fine on their own.”

Gladio frowned. “Did you want me to use a potion instead?” He asked, confused.

Prompto shook his head so violently hair went everywhere, and he felt a little dizzy. “No, gods, I could never pay you back for that-”

“Prompto, I’m not asking you to. Is that what you’re worried about?” He didn’t say anything else until Prompto had nodded. “It’s fine. I’m just taking care of a friend.”

“F-friend?”

“Yeah. Why, that a problem?” He asked harshly, face having closed off.

“No!” Prompto gripped his wrist, then blushed and pulled back. “No. I...it’s just...we’ve never really...”

Gladio chuckled, having immediately softened again. “Yeah, I guess we don’t really know each other, do we?” He started opening the bottle of antiseptic again. “After this, we should talk a bit.”

“About what?” Prompto asked, wincing, trying to distract himself from just how many crowns this was wasting.

The bigger man shrugged as he picked out a cotton ball from the packet and tilted the antiseptic over the fluffy material. “Whatever you want.” He gripped Prompto’s hand tighter. “This is gonna sting a bit.” He warned, right before he swabbed the antiseptic-coated cotton over the wound on his palm.

Prompto hissed, more in surprise than pain, and looked down at the wounds. He’d half-expected them to seal up immediately, but they still looked like raw mince. He narrowed his eyes at them. “How long does it take to work?”

“Work?” Gladio frowned at the cuts, then Prompto’s confused face. “You...what are you expecting to happen? It’s antiseptic, not magic.”

Prompto shrugged, while his cheeks heated. “I don’t know. I’ve never used this stuff before.”

“Never…?” He picked up the bottle and read the label. “It’s a pretty generic brand-”

“No, I mean...any antiseptic. At all. I...” His cheeks heated even further, the flush spreading down his shoulders and up his ears. “I don’t have enough money for it.”

Gladiolus’ surprised face just added insult to injury.

“No need to look so shocked.” Prompto grumbled. “I mean, it’s not like we can all be so rich. We don’t all work for the King.” He busied himself with picking at a loose thread on his bedspread, worrying at his lower lip. “Some of us have to...find a way to get by.”

“But...I thought your parents-”

“Do you see them?” Prompto snapped, ready to do anything to get out of this conversation. It hurt too much. The ugly twist in his chest made him feel unbearably fragile and worthless; the last time someone brought up his parents, he’d cried in the bathrooms for almost an hour, and he really didn’t want Gladio to see him like that. “I told Noct that my parents took care of everything because I didn’t want him to worry about it, okay?” His finger was turning red from where the thread was wrapped around it. “But they don’t. They pay for the place and my schooling, but they’ve just left me here. I have to find ways to pay for my food and clothes. They don’t care.”

Gladio gripped his hand again and unwound the thread, watching blood rush back into his fingertip. “Prompto...I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Prompto rolled his eyes and wrenched his hand away. “Yeah. Because I don’t want _anyone_ to know. I mean, how pathetic is that? My own parents didn’t love me enough to-”

“Prompto, don’t talk like that. If they can’t see your worth...then they’re blind.”

He sniffed and wiped his nose with the heel of his palm, wincing when he was reminded of his scrapes. “Where’d you get that line? Some cheesy romance?”

“Does it matter? It’s true. They’re not worth your worry.” He sat on the bed next to him. “So...gonna let me take a look at your knees?”

Prompto walked quickly back to his apartment, his legs eating up the distance. He looked back, hoping that he’d shaken his followers, when he slammed into someone.

He squeaked in surprise, and tried to step away, his heart pounding in his chest, hoping it wasn’t one of those boys. Not that he really thought they’d be smart enough to think about looping around-

A hand gripped his shoulder to steady him, and he shrieked, pulling away and turning to run.

“Prompto, wait! It’s just me!” Gladio’s voice said from behind him, and he paused.

“Sorry. It’s...there’s been reports of muggings in the area...” Prompto explained lamely, probably not convincing anyone, but Gladio didn’t press.

“Then let me walk you the rest of the way home.”

Prompto had no good excuse to refuse, so he nodded and fell into step beside the big man, casting worried glances over his shoulder, but there was no sign of the boys. Gladio nudged his shoulder, and he realised he’d been talking. “Sorry?”

Gladio sighed. “Noct said he wants you to come over tomorrow, but you weren’t answering your phone. He started getting worried.”

“Oh, um.” His brain supplied the image of his phone getting crushed under the boot of the lead boy, then thrown into the toilet. “It’s out of charge, probably. I lost it this morning. Probably at the bottom of my bag or something.” He said, hoping he was somehow getting better at lying.

He cautioned a glance at the muscular man, but his face was as blank as stone. Then, they turned the corner, and they were at Prompto’s apartment.

“Well, thanks for walking me home. I’ll be sure to message Noct back as soon as I find my phone!”

“Why don’t I help you look for it?” Gladio suggested.

“Oh, I...wouldn’t want to keep you, I know you’re busy!”

Gladio shrugged. “Got a night free.”

Prompto swallowed. Lying was really taking a toll on his health; he could swear he was getting years older with each one he told. “It’s really messy in there-”

“Probably why you lost it in the first place. I’ll help you clean up while we look for it.” Gladio said easily, crossing his arms over his chest, and Prompto deflated. When he got that look on his face, he was going through a ‘stubborn’ phase, where he wouldn’t leave until he’d gotten what he wanted.

“Really, it’s fine.” Prompto said quietly, hoping his final plea would get through. “I don’t want you spending one of your only free nights with me, and _cleaning,_ nonetheless. You should be drinking with friends, or something.”

“Prompto, I would love nothing more than to spend time with you on my night off, even if that means cleaning.” He said gently, stepping closer. When Prompto looked up into his eyes, he saw that he _had_ picked up on the heavy hints that Prompto didn’t want him there, he’d just chosen to ignore them.

He felt his cheeks heat. “O-oh.”

Gladio gently took the keys from his hand and fitted the correct one into the door first try and turned it, opening the door and guiding Prompto inside. He waited on the threshold for Prompto's invitation to come in. As stubborn as he was, he would never barge in to Prompto - or anyone's - home without permission.

For a moment, Prompto thought about closing the door. He thought about curling up in his blankets and shivering while he tried not to think about the letters he’d received from his parents on the kitchen table, or the bullies who had found out one of his secrets and teased him endlessly about it, accusing him of trying to seduce the prince, of trying to cosy up to him and ‘turn’ him gay.

But then he looked into his eyes, and he couldn’t. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Will you come in and help me clean my apartment while we look for my phone?”

He could almost _feel_ Gladio's pleased smile. “Of course. I’d love to.”

Prompto stepped aside to let Gladio in, who had to stoop to get through the door, and led him through to the lounge room. “If you wouldn’t mind starting in here? I’ll go through to the kitchen.”

He had lied about it being messy; there was a half-finished can of iced tea sitting next to his favourite chair, which Noctis had bought him for his last birthday (he’d been so happy he’d cried), and an empty packet of chips on the floor by the TV, and that was the extent of the mess. Since a very young age, his parents had chosen random days for ‘house inspections’. They wouldn’t speak to, or even look at him, but would scrutinise every last inch of the house, and for every error they found, they would tighten his budget.

At first, he had rebelled; left empty cans of soft drink, packets of crisps and dirty dishes, certain that they would stop at some point, but it had just gotten tighter and tighter, until he had finally started taking care of the place. It had never gone back up again, either - he recieved just as much now as he did when he had started taking care of the house when he was nine or ten.

Even so, he needed Gladio to stay out of the kitchen until he’d found a place for the letters to go. Unfortunately, Gladio was too quick, and when he saw Prompto with the letters, the younger boy got flustered.

“Hey, hey, shh. It’s alright.” Gladio said, taking the papers from him and setting them on the dining room table again, taking Prompto’s shoulders and stroking his thumbs over the soft flesh. “It’s alright.”

Slowly, Prompto calmed down, slumping into Gladio’s embrace. He’d been so tense for so long, he thought he’d fall apart if he released even a tiny bit, but he seemed to be holding together okay for now.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?” Gladio said, in a gentle but firm voice. He still left room for Prompto to decline, but provided a strong, safe place for him to unburden himself, if he wanted to.

Prompto was just so tired. The boys had warned him to stay quiet, but he couldn’t deny Gladio, and so he poured out all his worries; about the boys who were bullying him, about his parents threatening to cut off his allowance, about his worries of Noctis not accepting him because of his sexuality.

After he had finished, he felt noticeably lighter, as if some great weight had been lifted from his chest. Gladio remained silent until he was sure Prompto had finished.

“Prom, will you look at me?”

Slowly, he did as he was asked, turning his face until he was looking into Gladio’s eyes.

“First of all; if your parents ever cut you off, you can turn to me, or Iggy, or Noct. We’ll take care of you. Secondly, those boys...I’ll send their names to Ignis if you like, and he’ll make sure they never say anything to you ever again. Or, I can train you, and you can kick their asses yourself. As for Noctis not being cool with your sexuality...he’s known about me for years, and he’s never shown any kind of bad feelings about who I am.”

“You...”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I don’t mind what anyone’s got under their clothes; as long as they’re a good person, and I like them, I’ll sleep with them, kiss them, date them...whatever.”

Prompto blinked in surprise. “I...never knew.”

Gladio swallowed and licked his lips, staring at his hands in his lap. “Prom...” He shook his head and clenched his hands into fists. “How did you know?”

“Huh? Oh. I guess I...just knew? I don’t know. I mean, there were guys in my class who were cute. I remember when I first saw Noct. I hadn’t even realised who he was at that point, but I remember thinking...he had a nice face, you know?” He smiled. “When I first saw you, when we bumped into each other, I thought you were really handsome.”

“And...do you still think that?” His voice was soft, like he was afraid of the answer, and Prompto, usually so clueless, finally caught on.

He turned to Gladio and studied the profile of his face. “Yeah, I do.”

Gladio, cheeks pink, looked up at him and gave him a small smile. “So...if I kissed you...”

“Yes, Gladio-”

He didn’t get any further, because Gladio was suddenly kissing him, his lips harsh and incessant, his arms pulling him closer, his hands roaming Prompto’s small frame. After they finally parted, Gladio looked sheepish.

“Sorry, guess I just got a bit carried away. I’ve been wanting to do that for years.”

“It’s alright. Just warn me next time you’re going to steal my breath away like that.” He said with a smile, then pecked him on the lips. “So...I guess we should go on a date?”

“Sounds good. I’ll pick you up from school on Friday?”

“Can’t wait.”

**Author's Note:**

> Don't hesitate to tell me what you thought!
> 
> Hope you're all having a wonderful day, and enjoyed reading!


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